My friend went for HIV test sometime April, and she tested positive, since then is like a dead sentence to her, because she is pregnant and they said she wont be able to breast feed her baby, she is trying all she could to take her life.

Is there no treatment for HIV yet?, Someone should pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase help, before she take her life.

From the HIV education I know, an HIV mother can still breast-feed her child but to prevent MTC (Mother-to-child) transmission, she has to do what they call EXCLUSIVE breasteeding which means no one but her will breasfeed the child and the child will avoid other foods.

that's the little i know

@poster
I understand your friend's agony, its so sad.

Be that as it may, taking her life is not the solution the problem. She is not the only one is such a situation. Am not a doctor, neither do I have medical experience of any sort but I trust the doctors we have in this forum, definitely someone will profer a reasonable solution. Meantime, what your friend needs most now is love and counseling, she should be brave and see her present condition as part of the challenges of life. Let her be positive, and remember that she has the life of the innocent child to protect. Above all, she should find solace in God who is the impossiblity specalist. I commend your efforts to save her and I also encourage you to pray for her. Goodluck!

Dear poster
the most important person you friend needs first is a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist at least, having suicidal ideation is a very significant part of this history and i think is the most pressing need right now.
As for breatsfeeding, she cant do it! The transmission between mother and child can be prevented easily until breastfeeding.the way the pregnancy and labor is handled will and can reduce the chance of the baby geting it, but breatsfeeding?, nope, thats a sacrifice she has to make(never mind some people who say africans should stil breatsfeed regardless, the say the child is more likely to die of diarrhoeal disease before the HIV if not breastfed but that will only happen if she doesnt take hygiene serious in bottlefeeding the child.
one thing she has to know though, HIV is not a death sentence, NO,at least shes not in AIDS yet.It is now a manageable condition and is fast becoming like hypertension and diabetes that you treat for a lifetime, so she can live happily with her healthy baby once she takes good care of herself and she takes measures at preventing MTC transmission.
more importanatly. she needs your love, affection and care, not pity cos she may even outlive those who seem to be without the virus right now.
Another message is this, everyone should get tested, if she had known before getting pregnant,there are measures that could have been taken to really subdue her viral load.
Take care of her and get her to a good hospital
she'll make it through.

@mustay

who siad exclusive prevents MTC transmission?
pls discard that notion, exclusive is just a way for non infected mothers to boost their child's immunity with all the attendant benefits of breastfeeding. and yes it means breastmilk only! with no supplements or formula feeds added in the first 4-6months of the baby's life not even water!(Asides immunisations and essential drugs)
let the babies enjoy what God has provided for them

My own contribution is that she should take it in good faith and a VOLUNTARY COUNSELLING CENTRE or HEART TO HEART which u can find in most of the General Hospital.During child birth she should go for elective ceasrian section when the pregnancy is termed i.e when due, this will prevent MTC transmission.She should pls not breastfeed the baby cos if she does and the baby get infected she'll not be forgiven.
Testing positive is not the end of the world and it's possible to live longer than a negative patience.If only she can comply with her Doctor's counsel and medication.

Above all she should stay with JESUS cos with GOD nothing shall be impossible.
If she is in Nigeria,she should try to attend Holy Ghost Service Every 1st friday of the month @ the Redemption Camp, along Lagos / Ibadan Expressway.
The balm of Gilead will heal her in JESUS name.

The HIV itself is not the killer. What kills the victim are the
Opportunistic infections. Bacterial eg TB viral- CMV meningitis, fungal moniliasis.

Most antibiotics are being rendered ineffective by resistant strains.
An alternative which kills the pathogen and boost the immune system is Silverbiotics.

@op, i m so sorry about ur friend, but the first thing i will advise u to do as a doctor is to give her all the support a friend needs. She really needs counselling, so take her to the nearest clinic, especially a teaching hospital, where she can be totally managed by psychiatrists, haematologists, family physicians, gynaecologists, paediatricians (for the oncoming baby), and maybe radiologists and oncologists.
There is something called Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT), done in most teaching hospitals, where the mother takes drugs e.g zidovudine, nevirapine, efavienz, etc for sometime, then undergoes elective caesarean section, thereby limiting vertical transmission. Studies show that this method has about 95% success rate, meaning excellent prognosis.
About the breastfeeding, there are different schools of thought. Some say it shouldnt be done cos u can transmit the virus to the baby, meaning wasted effort. Others say u can still brestfeed since the drugs u take are still secreted in breastmilk. Well, u can consult with ur family physician.
Above all, do not despair, depression kills faster than the virus, please tell her that. With proper drugs and healthy living, u can live a long and blessed life.
CHEERS!!!